Trick or Treat

For the last two weeks I have been working with a different team and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with them, and getting to know them all.  Next week it is back to my usual job, and back to part time work, which will leave more time for crafting!  Tonight I decided to have a look at my fav challenge blogs, with the thought of planning a card to make tomorrow, that was until I came across The Friday Mashup and was totally inspired by this week's challenge.  This week was a colour and theme challenge, and I decided to do both, creating a Halloween themed card using Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Lucky Limeade and Concord Crush.

Now in Australia we don't really celebrate Halloween, certainly not to the extent that it is celebrated in the US or UK, this is reflected in the limited Halloween products in our IB&C. However I did not want to let that get me down, and I think it was the little owl in the Warmest Wishes set that FMU are giving away this week. 

I used the owl punch and added some bat wings to give him more of a Halloween look, and a little green vest to match the new Lucky Limeade ruffle ribbon on the card.  I decided to use my new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch (boy that is a mouthful!!) and used two strips of it under the ruffle ribbon, I think the two of them go very well together. Can you spot the little bit of extra ruffled ribbon I have used to framed the Concord Crush circle? I cut a piece of ribbon in half lengthwise and then attached it to the back of the circle using SNAIL.

I did learn an important lesson on this card ... Use your black glitter before you add the letters to a multi-layered, embossed card! Boy does that stuff get everywhere!

Stamps: none!
Paper: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Lucky Limeade, Concord Crush and Naturals Ivory; Lucky Limeade DSP Stack
Other: 2-step Owl Punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon, Timeless Type Junior Alphabet die, black super fine glitter.


Happy Stamping

ESAD Blog Hop - Big Shot

I hope you’re ready for the ESAD Big Shot Blog Hop!

What is ESAD?

ESAD stands for Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators and it is an online group just for Australian and New Zealand demonstrators for Stampin’ Up!

We so love what we do and not only do we love to share it with our customers, friends, and wonderful blog visitors but we share our love for what we do with each other as Demonstrators. We run swaps, challenges, tutorials, product know how and cyberstamps and we are always there to help and support each other when its needed.

So if you are a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand then please feel free to click here to join our wonderful group.

You may have hopped over here from Jacinta's blog Jacinta's Creations, or you may be starting here, with a Blog Hop it doesn't really matter, just follow the link at the bottom of each post and it will take you to the next blog along, and eventually bring you back to the one you started at.

Now onto my creations for this hop.  I have loved my Big Shot ever since I bought it earlier this year, and now Stampin' Up! have so many new dies and embossing folders in the new Idea Book & Catalogue (p150- 155), over 40 in fact.  One of my biggest problems was that I want them all, and where to start???

Firstly I chose the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, and with some experimentation with my circle punch and a comment from my darling daughter (also affectionately known as my Blingologist!) "mum those look like snowflakes" I was inspired to create this card.

I embossed Whisper White card stock through the folder, and then sponged some Baja Breeze over the raised portions.  I punched out the "snowflakes" and adhered to a Baja Breeze card stock base card.  Then used the sentiment from Occasional Quotes stamped onto Vellum using Versamark and embossed with white. I finished off by using silver brads in the four corners of the card.  I think the use of the Vellum really matches the sentiment.

My second creation utilises one of the 7 available Embosslits dies in the Idea Book & Catalogue, these dies not only cut out the image but also emboss them at the same time.  All 7 in the IB&C are exclusive to Stampin' Up! which means you won't see them in craft stores, so if you are interested contact me or your own Stampin' Up! demonstrator.  I have been dying to get my hands on the Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die having seen it used so effectively in cards on US websites, the die cuts and embosses a total of 5 butterflies every time.

I paired the little butterflies with one of my favourite new stamp sets Just Believe, masking and sponging the background colours.  This card features some of the new In-Colours - base colour is Pear Pizzaz with a Concord Crush mat layer, then the butterflies are from a mix of Poppy Parade, Concord Crush and Peach Parfait.  I love the richness of these new colours and the way they go together so well.    

I hope you have enjoyed my creations, and come back and visit again soon.  Now it's onto visit the lovely creations that Jan McAnulty has created over at her blog Card Capers with Jan.

Don't forget that we all love to receive comments about our work and this time around your comments could earn you some blog candy!!! To qualify ....

* Blog Candy is only open to customers (ie. demonstrators do not qualify)

* To qualify you must visit every blog and leave a comment on each one

* Once you have commented on each blog you need to email Leonie at leonie@stamp-a-latte.com and advise her that you have done so.

* Its as easy as that!!!  Good luck.

The following is the list of all the blogs on the hop, just in case a link isn't working...

Nikki Sadler - http://www.inkyart.com.au

Angela Purdie - www.kintakards.webs.com

Richelle Fletcher - http://stampinwithrichelle.blogspot.com

Shirley McAvoy - http://stampingelephants.wordpress.com/

Carole Stedman - www.carolestamping.com

Carol-Ann Torrie - http://queen-of-scraps.blogspot.com

Sherylee Tutt - www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/sherylee/blog

Clare Mcilhatton - www.crafty-cow.com

Andrea Buckland - http://creatingcardswithandrea.blogspot.com/

Susan Joyce - http://www.catsinkcorporated.blogspot.com/

Ann Gerlach - www.discover-ink.blogspot.com

Dani Fender - http://danifender.blogspot.com

Bron Heslop - www.bronheslop.wordpress.com

Charmaine Black - http://www.l-ink-edtopaper.blogspot.com/

Pauline Bennetts - http://stampinovation.blogspot.com

Bev Watt - http://stampinovation.blogspot.com/

Vicki Were - http://www.stampinvickistyle.blogspot.com/

Jo Weedon - http://www.scrapandstampin.blogspot.com

Kim Conway - http://kimconwaycards.blogspot.com

Jane Norrish - Http://www.janenorrish.com

Jacinta Argent - http://jacintascreations.blogspot.com

Monique Fielder - http://stamping-with-moni-q.blogspot.com/   -    YOU ARE HERE

Jan McAnulty - http://cardcaperswithjan.wordpress.com/